Power Scenario-I

Sir,

The people of the State are virtually at the receiving end of the apathy of the power Development corporation. All through the long years of decade after decade we are witnessing huge problems regarding Power Scenario. Every year the people of this State are promised that there will be a better availability of power but soon these promises get vanished into thin air.

This summer too when the temperature are already soaring the department of power has resorted to heavy load shedding. Without rhyme or reason at least from the consumer's view point power supply is snapped. This makes us all suffer for no virtual fault of ours. The consumers were told to be prepared for e-meters and they co-operated with the department. Tarrif was devised by the department, the consumers remained silent and co-operated. But the people of this State want to know at least when are the power woes going to be solved. In summer heavy loadshedding is resorted to in entire Jammu region which is literally burning with heat. In winter in the valley at the mere drop of a hat power supply remains cut off for days.

The Government has to at least ensure that consumers get an assured supply of power for a particular period of line but when power supply is cut off on one pretext or their other the consumers fell cheated. With so many power projects being cleared and some being inaugurated power situation should improve but it is not yet happening for no fault of consumers who will listen?

Yours etc...
Ankush Gupta
Samba
Jammu

II

Sir,

The issue, which I am going to address here, has been repeatedly addressed by a fairly large number of concerned citizens, time and again. But still, no solution is in sight.

Power-cuts, load-shedding and above all, this deafness of our so-called ‘concerned’ officials is a matter of deep frustration in itself. So much has been said and written about this but to no avail.

I don’t even wish to write anything in this regard. After all, what result is my writing going to bear? But saying something is better than saying nothing. So, let’s wait and hope our words will some day be taken seriously.

As such, what I want to emphasize again here is the fact that though power-cuts and the sorry attitude of officials in this regard is a foregone conclusion, yet PDD could have given us a little respite. This, they could have done by following different load shedding schedules for summers and winters, as was being done previously. Surprisingly, this policy has been discontinued for the past two years now. Implementing same schedules for summers and winters is nothing but a proof of callousness and irresponsibility. The residents of areas, where electronic meters have been installed, quite rightly have nothing to complain in this matter. Most of the high PDD officials must be residing in these areas and can not feel the difference. However, what about others? Where are they to go? What are they supposed to do in the scorching heat?

What has our government in mind for people like us? This is nothing short of mental harassment. And government and its officials simply cannot harass us and get away with it.

Instead of putting in sincere efforts to logically consider and evaluate people’s problems, PDD goes on maintaining an indifferent attitude. This callous, out-dated approach to people’s problems is going to yield nothing. Government must first of all learn how to provide its voters with the basic amenities and only then should it go all the way making tall claims about transforming Jammu into a metropolitan city.

Yours etc...
Veeresh Saraf

Woes of clerical staff

Sir,

For more than a month now clerical staff is on strike. Very recently their peaceful demonstration were subjected to lathicharge at Udhampur and Srinagar. A Sizable chunk of employees who form the base of administration at the lowest most level are agitating for more than a month. The authorities are not in a mood to look into their genuine demands. After all how can an whole clerical staff across the State go for a strike for more than a month without some grave problems and injustices meted out to them.

It is the strange on the part of the Government to completely ignore the demands of its employees who form life and limb of the government. It is not difficult to understand that clerks have a problem. Their pay scales are meagre and when seen in the context of inflation they are not able to meet their basic needs in life. To add salt to their wounds the govt. has in past raised the pay scale of some cadres who were working in the same grade and pay as clerks were. These arbitary and short sighted steps have morally demoralised the whole clerical cadre. The result is that they are out on the streets to air their just demands. The govt should have assuaged their problems but instead it has resorted to merciless lathicharge on them. Clerical strike is having a cascading effect on the Government functioning. Less work is being executed in the offices and even salaries have not been disbursed. The Govt should see the problem with an open mind and take necessary steps to assuage the hurt feelings of clerical staff.

Yours etc...
Kuldep Raj Rehari
Jammu